The History of the Cranberry

Once a year, Americans pile the Thanksgiving table with all kinds of goodies and no table is complete unless there is a bowl of that garnet-colored accessory- cranberry sauce. According to folk-lore, we can thank Native American's for starting this tradition by serving it to the Pilgrim's at the first Thanksgiving celebration. Whether this is true or not, Native Americans did introduce the cranberry to early settlers among other native fruits and vegetables which helped the settlers survive their new environs and harsh winter.

However, the smaller berry in Europe has a much longer history. Archeological digs from the Iron Age uncovered cranberry seeds. Roman invaders believed cranberries were used in pagan rituals and also thought the berries gave their enemies an edge- exceptional night vision. But mostly, the Europeans used the cranberry for flavoring their liquors and soups.

In North America as far back as the mid-1500s, Native Americans used the cranberry in a variety of ways. Pemmican was a mixture of cranberry, dried venison and lard. This concoction would keep for months and helped get tribes through the winter when food was scarce because of the benzoic acid, a natural preservative found in the berries. The rich red color was also used as a dye for paint, clothing and decorative fabrics as well as for healing wounds. Among some tribes, the cranberry was used as a symbol of peace.

The Native Americans had a variety of names for the berry, but the European settlers called it "crane berry." They thought it looked a lot like a crane as the flowers drooped. The name eventually evolved into cranberry.

Though settlers developed many uses for the native cranberry, it wasn't until 1816 that the first cranberry crop was farmed in Massachusetts by Captain Henry Hall. Not long after, the American cranberry was introduced to Europe and regular exporting began. By 1854, there were 197 acres of cranberry bogs in Massachusetts. Because of the hearty nature of the plant, cranberries are still harvested from these original vines over 150 years later. Today, there are around 39,200 acres cultivated and harvested in the United States.

By the 1850s, sailors spent months at sea with nothing but food of little nutritive value. Because they preserve well and the Vitamin C content, they took along barrels of dried cranberries to help stave off scurvy just as the European sailors did with limes. During the Civil War, they were fed to Union soldiers and this tradition continued on into World War II.

Another contribution the cranberry made to the war effort was the discovery of iron ore in the peat bogs. As a result, American colonists no longer had to rely on England for precious iron. This was particularly important during the Revolutionary War and we could make our own weaponry. Once the iron deposits were exhausted, cranberries were planted in the bogs to replace the economic loss of the iron.

The most familiar version of the cranberry- the can of jellied sauce with the rings- was first produced in 1912. Twenty percent of the cranberries eaten each year are consumed at the Thanksgiving table, but it is certain that the cranberry has had a bigger impact on American history than that and it continues to provide a variety of benefits and uses. It's amazing how a little red berry could be such a big part of America's past and continues to contribute to the present and future of this country.

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